With Every Day Passed
by TwoFacedPierrot
Summary: "Together we're geniuses. Separated we're nothing but idiots." Arthur Kirkland and Alfred F. Jones tells about the ups and downs of their lives.And how they came to fall for each other. UsUk. T for safety. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**~Arthur~**

It was raining.

Dark clouds hung in the darkening sky as steady droplets of condensed air fell to the bloodstained ground. Numerous bodies of fallen soldiers littered everywhere. It was obvious that a war had just ended.

Amidst it all was one lone British soldier against a group of Americans. The Brit was crumpled on his knees, his hand covering his face in attempt to hide his tears. The American only stood before him, emotionless.

"Dammit..! Why?" he choked in despair and pain. "Shit!"

It was raining heavily.

_In this slowly decaying world_

_A path for my struggling self_

_I carve in your colorless smile_

_I pulled off the plug_

_I shouted until my voice was dry_

_The echo reverberates in the empty air_

_Although there was nothing left_

_After the chains were removed.. *_

I lifted my hand towards my nightstand and groped about for my cell phone. I found it after several unsuccessful attempts and turned the bloody annoying thing off. I sat up groggily, letting out a huge yawn in the process.

I climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom, scratching the back of my neck and stifling yet another yawn. I glanced at the mirror above the sink on my way to the shower. My forever untameable blond hair looked even worse than it is during the day. I tched and headed into the shower.

In ten minutes I was done and standing before my clothes cupboard. I pulled out a random t-shirt and a pair of trousers before putting them on. When I was done, I shouldered my bag and went downstairs.

"..Would you want some breakfast, honey?" My mother asked as soon as both my feet landed on the wooden flooring. She must've heard my footsteps when I descended the stairs.

"No thank you.." I answered as I fetched my sneakers from the shoe rack. "I'm going out now."

"Have a nice day!" she called, not once looking away from the meal she was cooking for the rest of the family.

I closed the door behind me and went on my way. It's been three years since I moved to the United States of America, and I am still not used to it (in case you're wondering, I am British).

I was in the middle of my thoughts when I heard a familiar loud voice booming from behind me, calling my name.

"Arthur! Hey! Wait up!"

I rolled my eyes and sighed before turning around. Leave it to him to ruin my perfectly peaceful morning.

"Hello Alfred.." I greeted with a hint of my old accent. Alfred came over and gave me a friendly _not-so-gentle_ pat on my exposed back, beaming like an idiot.

"Sheesh!" he pouted playfully. "Shouldn't you be already getting rid of that stupid accent by now?"

If the minds of normal humans mature as they grow older, Alfred is anything _but_ normal. We met each other in England during kindergarten and let me tell you this; Alfred has been an idiot ever since. A loud, impulsive idiot if you ask me.

"..Yes." I replied before proceeding to resume my journey. "But that doesn't mean I can't use it when I feel like it. Now come on. We're going to be late."

"Aww crap" Alfred frantically checked his wristwatch. "Shit! You're right!" Without a warning, he took off ahead of me.

"O-oi!" I had to sprint to catch up with him. I wasn't that good with sports in the first place (that git is a freaking athlete) and let's just say, he runs like the wind when it comes to being late (or when the nearest burger store has a special sale).

I reached the school entrance gates breathless and panting. Great. I made a mental note _never_ to mention it's late in Alfred's case.

"Hah!" Alfred sighed with obvious relief before grinning. I was surprised by the fact that his breathing wasn't even out of rhythm even by a bit. "I made it in time!"

I was too breathless to make a witty comeback.

"..Dude.." he blinked when he saw my condition. "Are you okay?"

"Do I.. look like I'm '_okay_' you twat?" I snapped.

"You're really out of shape, Arthur," he laughed before picking me up from the ground. "But nevermind. The hero here shall carry you to class."

"Wha-What? Let go of me you bloody wanker!" I yelled, pounding his shoulders in attempt to make him release me. Despite being the younger one among us, Alfred was at least half a foot taller than me and he had a much broader frame.

Unfortunately, my efforts only made him ignore me more. As if I was invisible, he strolled into the hallways carrying me in his arms, went to the lockers, got both out needed items, and headed to class. All attention were drawn towards us the whole way and as much as I hate to admit it, I'm quite sure that my face was the color of at least ten shades of red.

"Morning guys!" the idiot shouted as he made his entrance in the classroom. Good Lord. How he made me wish I could just fade away and disappear right there.

"Veh~ Good morning Alfred! You too, Arthur!" Fecliciano Vargas, the younger of the pair of Italian brothers chirped cheerfully, his conversation with his sibling temporarily forgotten.

"My.. making a move at last, Alfie?" the Frenchboy, Francis Bonnefoy teased. In case you don't know, his has the reputation as the biggest pervert among us (he uses his background as an excuse for being sick in the head).

Alfred merely laughed it off before resuming his entrance into the classroom, not even bothering to put me down.

"Jones! Kirkland! Stop this nonsense at once or I'll make you both run around the school for five times!" Ludwig, our German class representative came up and yelled.

"Whoa! Calm down man!" Alfred set me on the floor and raised his hands in defeat. "Just doing my job as hero."

I gave him a death glare.

"What? Not you too!" he whined when he saw me. "Fine! Look, I'm sorry Arthur. I don't-"

I glared at him some more. But then, my concentration to shoot daggers at him with my glare was broken when a timid voice sounded from behind me.

"A-Ah.. good morning, Arthur-san.."

I turned around and raised an eyebrow. Standing there was none other than Honda Kiku, the only Japanese in the class. He was so shy that everyone mistook him for a girl at first sight – myself included.

"Good morning, Kiku.." I greeted back with a smile. "Still having a habit of using honorifics?" I added.

Kiku nodded, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"Hey Kiku! Could you lend me your homework, aru?" Yet another Asian – a Chinese – asked. He was Wang Yao. From what I heard, he and Kiku were childhood friends.. like Alfred and myself.

"H-Hai!" Kiku stuttered, his mother tongue taking over. "Just wait a minute!" With a polite bow, he turned on his heels and headed to his seat where Yao awaited.

Minutes passed as more and more students rushed in, greeting each other, all at the last minute. The last person (who happened to be Ludwig's older brother Gilbert) came in just in split second before the teacher did.

"Okay you bastards! Take out your history textbooks!" The adult barked over the restless murmurings of students. "And I don't give a damn if you'll fall asleep _anyway_, just open it to page seventy-six and place it on your frickin desk!"

The whole class (save several of us) groaned. Right.. I forgot to mention; but other than the fact that we're the only multiracial class in the whole school (though we have no trouble communicating with each other), we're also the _dumbest and slowest_ that ever existed. Even so, we pretty much have our own speciality in studies. Kiku and Yao, for example, are the 'Gods' (or at least to us) in Maths. I specialize in English (obviously). The Vargas brothers in arts. Alfred and a few others in P.E... you get the picture. Together we're geniuses. Separated we're slower than a three legged tortoise.

It was when the teacher opened his mouth to start the lesson; I heard a sound that was unusual to anyone's ears except ours, and maybe the teachers. It was the sound of more than thirty heads plopping on arms rested on desks in unison as if it was timed. Truly, it was amazing how a teacher can put almost the whole class to sleep without having to even speak a word.

Hours came and passed in a flash as we slept on through the next few subjects. Finally, the long awaited recess bell rang. Stretching our muscles which were stiff from hours of bending over and stifling yawns, we pushed our books aside and headed to the cafeteria.

* * *

><p><strong>~Alfred~<strong>

He lunged forward for an attack. He managed to block it with the price of losing his musket.

The Brit aimed his own weapon at the American. His hands shook – though, they were barely noticeable. His finger curled around the trigger.

"Idiot..." he muttered, his voice slowly breaking. "How could I shoot you?"

It was raining.

_So I'm going to go see you right now, that's what I've decided_  
><em>I want to have you listen to this song, that I have in my pocket<em>

_Quietly, I turned up the volume, to make sure that it was there_

_Oh good-bye days, right now I've got the feeling that things are going to change;_

_so long to everything up until yesterday_  
><em>An uncool kindness is at my side<em>  
><em>..With you *<em>

I shot upright from the position I was sleeping in. I realized it was just my cellphone and breathed a sigh of relief. That thing scares me shitless almost every morning – though the song I set wasn't the crazy rock genre or anything. Shut up. I can't be woken up suddenly like that okay?

Anyway, I reached for the device and turned it off. I groped around the surface of my night stand some more for my glasses (just so you know, I'm practically blind without them).

I found the item and gladly slid them on. Ah. Much better. Throwing off the covers, I went to the bathroom for a quick morning shower, grabbing my toothbrush from the sink on the way (don't worry. I don't use it to scrub myself if that's what you're thinking. I just prefer to brush and bathe at the same time. Try it. It saves time _and_ water).

After a good few minutes of struggling to get my t-shit on, I grabbed my precious bomber jacket and headed downstairs, picking up my bag by the door. I ran my fingers through my still wet hair as I descended the stairs.

"Mornin' mum!" I greeted as I stopped at the entrance of the kitchen. My mother had dirty blond hair – which, I inherited from – and dark violet eyes that had that certain sparkle in them. Her hair was held back with a scarf that morning to avoid getting in her way. She turned around from her cooking and flashed me her billion dollar smile. To me, that might as well be the best thing to see first thing in the morning.

"Good morning, Al!" she said, a spatula still in hand. "Breakfast's ready. We're having your favourite pancakes today."

"Seriously?" I ran into the kitchen and saw a plate of freshly made pancakes placed on the table, waiting to be eaten. "Thanks mum! You rock!" I said as I took my seat, hardly able to keep my salivary glands in control.

My mum sat across the table and interlaced her fingers as she watched me inhale pancake after pancake. Despite her smile, I could see faint black circles forming around her eyes – a result of stress and exhaustion.

I inwardly blamed my dad.

My parents are divorced. My dad took the younger brother that I can hardly remember and my mum took me. My mother had to take up all kinds of odd jobs to pay for our expenses and for me to attend school. It took her some time, but she finally collected enough money to rent this small house just for the two of us. She does her best to make our lives better, and I'm determined to repay her someday. Someday...

"Ah! I'll do the dishes!" Mum grabbed my hands when I began to squeeze some dishwashing liquid from its bottle. "You'll be late if you wash them."

"Huh?" I blinked before starting to protest. "But mum-"

"You won't want to get your butt whooped, do you?" she cut me off by stating matter-of-factly. She then stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on my forehead. "Now get going. Be careful on your way."

I was reluctant at first, but I knew my mum. She would insist on doing it despite my protests.

"Fine.." I bent down to kiss her cheek. "I'm going out now."

"Have a nice day!"

"You too.."

And I closed the door.

I stood on the porch and breathed in some fresh morning air. Getting a good dose of energy, I went on my way.

The wind blew breezily as I walked, rippling through my hair. I was in the middle of enjoying the breeze when I noticed a familiar sandy blond guy – who, looked like he didn't bother to comb after waking up – several metres in front of me.

"Hey Arthur!" I called out, quickening my pace towards him. "Wait up!"

Before I go on, let me explain. Arthur Kirkland's my childhood friend. We went to preschool together when I lived in Britain for a few years right after my parents' divorce. When I was nine, my mum brought me here, to the U.S where she found a decent job. Arthur and I were separated for some time before his family too, decided to move to America. Heck, the only reason I actually remember him was because I accidentally found his profile in Facebook.

It took him a while to turn around and respond, so I figured he probably rolled his eyes before actually deciding to answer.

"..Hello Alfred.." he greeted back, his British accent hinting in his voice. I smiled as I went over and gave him a pat on the part of his back where his bag wasn't slung over.

"Sheesh!" I pouted. You have _no idea_ how much I hated that accent (long story. Couldn't pronounce right. Got laughed at. _Not_ an image suited for a hero). "Shouldn't you be already getting rid of that stupid accent by now?" I asked.

"Yes." He replied and turned on his heels. "But that doesn't mean I can't use it when I feel like it. Now come on. We're going to be late.

"Aww crap!" I frantically checked my watch. Seven thirty. Only twenty minutes more. About a mile or two more to go. Holy. Jesus.

"Shit! You're right!" I cursed. Panicking real bad, I bolted ahead, leaving the surprised Brit behind.

"O-Oi!" I heard him yell before he too, started to run. I didn't slow down to let him catch up. I sprinted straight towards the direction that led to the school. I won't to be late. I seriously _will not_ be late.

Arthur caught up soon after I reached the gates, panting and looking as if he was going to faint any second. I checked my watch again. Seven forty-three. Phew.

"Hah!"I sighed in relief. "I made it in time!"

Arthur kept panting. Was it just me, or was he turning paler?

"Dude.." I blinked to make sure my eyes were working fine. "Are you okay?"

His emerald eyes flashed annoyance when he snapped back. "Do I.. look like I'm _'okay'_ you twat?"

"You're really out of shape Arthur.." I laughed as I made up my mind to do it. I picked him up and carried him in my arms. He might be the older one, but I'm way bigger and taller than him. "But nevermind," I grinned before adding. "The hero here will carry you to class."

"Wh-What?" he stammered, color slowly staining his face. "Let go of me you bloody wanker!" and her started pounding my shoulders with his fists. It might not look like it cause' I was determined not to show, _but that hurt._

I ignored him all the same and walked into the main building that separated the middle school and high school divisions. I had to admit it was strange. Arthur was unusually light for a normal fifteen-year old.

"Morning guys!" I shouted when I entered class, with Arthur still in my arms. You might not believe it, but hardly half the students were there. And there's only about five minutes left before lessons start.

"Veh~ Good morning Alfred!" Feliciano, the younger of the pair of Italian brothers greeted cheerfully. "You too, Arthur!"

"My.. making a move at last, Alfie?" Francis, the French dude teased smugly.

I laughed it off. The guy's way of thinking is just a_ little_ too dirty (uses his origin for an excuse. Says people in France believe that sex is good or something).

"Jones! Kirkland!" Ludwig, our German rep nagged, standing up from his seat. "Stop this nonsense at once or I'll make you both run around the school for five times!" Rumours have it, he was raised in an army before his family moved here. But seriously. Do we look like a freaking military school to you?

"Whoa! Calm down man!" I put Arthur down and raised my hands in defeat, flashing a silly smile (Ludwig really will make you do what he said when he said it). "Just doing my job as a hero."

All of the sudden, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand. Expecting the worst, I slowly averted my gaze towards Arthur. If looks could kill, I would've dropped dead right there. I could practically see the dark aura he was emitting.

"What? Not you too!" I whined. Great. The whole world's against an act of a hero. "Fine. Look, I'm sorry Arthur. I don't-"

I don't what? I stopped short. I ran out of excuses.

My sorry butt was saved when Kiku, a Japanese boy come close to greet Arthur. I've never loved a Japanese until then.

Without giving it second thoughts, I took the chance to slip away while they engaged in a conversation. I took my seat at the back of the class and leaned back, heaving a sigh. This was gonna be one hell of another long day...

"Good morning Al!" a voice sounded from above me. I looked up to see a boy with blond hair and brilliant purple eyes smiling down at me. Like myself, he had an extra curl of hair sticking out (except his was.. well...curlier).

"Mornin' Mattie!" I said, returning the smile. Remember when I mentioned I was separated from my younger brother when I was a kid? Matthew Williams is my lost brother. My twin, to be exact. My younger twin. The second part of me.

Matthew was in Canada before he came here about a year ago. People used to tease us by calling us twins from our resemblance. Who would've thought it was a hundred percent true? (I found out by digging out our old stuff from where Mum kept them) But even so, I've never seen my dad since. Never planned to. Heck. .That bastard just ain't worth it. Not only did he separate us brothers, he left the heavy burden of raising a child alone without any money to my mum.

Oh, wondering why we have different last names? My mum kept her maiden name; Lilian Jones. I used my mum's last name. Matt, on the other hand, used my dad's.

Anyway, we chatted for a while before the last student and teacher made their entrance (the last was Ludwig's brother Gilbert. Don't even ask me why they bother coming at different times).

"Okay you bastards! Take out your history textbooks!" The teacher shouted over the noise we were making. "And I don't give a damn if you'll fall asleep anyway, just open it to page seventy-six and place it on your frickin desk!"

I joined the chorus of groans as soon as he finished his sentence. One thing, we are so far the stupidest class that ever existed in the school – though, we do have subjects we each excel on. Our principal is a big fan of Japan, that's why this place is based on the Japanese way of schooling. Unlike other normal schools in America, we go through every subject as a class.

As much as I hate to admit it to you guys, I couldn't help but fall asleep along with the rest of the class. Trust me; a minute longer awake in there could cost you your sanity.

The minute my eyes closed, I was brought to the same dream I'd been having for the past week; a war between Americans and Brits, the Revolutionary War. And worst of all, I couldn't understand it. Those fighting were human. Yet, they call each other using the names of their respective countries. What on earth..

"..fred.." I heard a voice calling out of the sudden.

"Wha...? Five more minutes mum..." I grumbled sleepily.

"Alfred! Wake up. It's recess." My shoulder was shook violently before I finally woke up with a frustrated groan. Only when I opened my eyes did I realize that it was Mattie trying to wake me. I also realized that the rest of the classroom was empty and we were the only ones left. And the sides of my mouth was wet.

"Well someone had a nice nap." My brother remarked sarcastically.

"Yeah... as a matter of fact, I did.." I answered, straightening my aching back.

He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe you could actually afford to miss that lesson."

Mattie's one of the smarter ones in class (he passes more than one subject. Don't laugh. That's considered geniusness in our standard). Compared to us, he stays awake in school longer by hours.

"Anyway, let's go to the cafeteria. I don't know about you, but I'm starving." He added, smiling wistfully.

"You got it bro," I stood up, grinning for one last time before heading out into the hallways with my brother.

* * *

><p><strong>*1st song: Just be Friends - Luka Megurine<strong>

***2nd song: Goodbye days - Yui**

**Uh.. meaningless 1st chapter? O_o'' **

**Just a random idea I got and I couldn't help but write this (I know, I know, I shouldn't be starting so many stories coz it'll probably take me years to complete them, but still...)**

**Err... should I even be putting two POVs together in one chapter? It looks kinda confusing but it also explains a lot of things (or at least I hope so)**

**My first Hetalia fanfic. Go easy on me please! **

**Hetalia isn't mine!**


	2. Chapter 2

**~Arthur~**

The cafeteria was bustling with people when we got there.

Students pushed each other and shouted like hooligans as they crowded around lunch lady to get the last pudding or such. As for me, I couldn't be bothered to do the same. I went to the vending machines, got myself a packet of nuts and a can of tea, and headed back to our usual table.

When I said '_our_', I meant the whole idiot class, in case you're wondering.

I sat down next to Kiku and started to open the bag of my food. I'd just started popping some nuts into my mouth when the Japanese lad spoke up.

"..Is that actually enough Arthur-san?" he asked when he saw my lunch. As usual, he brought a boxed lunch – a bento, as they call it in Japanese – which included some rice, meat… and other healthy food that makes a balanced diet.

"Yeah..' I replied. "I'm not that hungry so it'll do."

I wasn't lying. My appetite was small for an average growing teenager. The only times when I actually eat properly is during every meal of dinner.

Kiku stared at me with doubt obvious in his brown eyes. "If you like," he offered. "I could make you some bento once in a while.."

I shook my head. "It's fine. Thank you for the kind offer anyway."

We then ate in silence as minutes passed and more and more of us gathered at the table, chatting loudly with each other. Yao settled down next to Kiku, placing a plate of fried vegetable noodles on the table before heaving an exasperated sigh. Who could've blamed him? Squeezing into the crowd was hard work.

Ivan Braginski, a ridiculously tall Russian who was also my classmate, sat next to the Asian, making Yao look outrageously small compared to him. Francis took the seat opposite to mine. Feliciano sat as near to Ludwig as possible. And the chain goes on and on until every one of us were there.

"Thif if freakun delifiosu!" Alfred exclaimed next to me, half chewing his burger, half spitting pieces of food everywhere.

"Geez Al.. you should at least swallow first before you talk.." his younger twin brother Matthew scolded.

I couldn't agree with him more. A disgusting piece of saliva drenched food landed on my exposed arm.

"But I can't help it Mattie.." he pouted. "Nothing tastes better than hamburger after a good nap.. 'cept for mum's cooking, of course." And to prove his point about the burger thing, he inhaled the whole remaining thing in one chomp.

"Are you so bloody stupid.." I said, my patience thinning. "..that you're not afraid of choking to death?"

"And you're eating so damn little.." he observed, abruptly changing the subject. "How do you even survive the day when you just consume such a small amount of food?"

"Unlike you, I have a normal sized stomach.." I muttered, gritting my teeth in annoyance. "Besides, I eat this much every day. Don't tell me you just noticed it."

"Arthur expects Alfie to notice him _everyday_? I see…" Francis mumbled smugly to himself. That pervert was inching closer to Matthew by the minute. From the looks of it, Matthew looked as if he was either going to stand up and walk off or hit him with something.

"Shut up Francis." I snapped. "Don't ever call me that."

To my right, Kiku struggled to suppress a giggle. I turned towards him. "What?"

"I-It's nothing.." he said, failing to keep a lips from smiling. "Its just… you act so much like tsundere, its cute Arthur-san.."

What the bloody hell is a _tsundere_? I was about to ask when I changed my mind. Whatever it is, it certainly did not sound too good, since Kiku actually applied the word '_cute'_ to it.

Anyway, we would've spent the rest of recess bickering back and forth about the most trivial things, until suddenly, a brunette from across the cafeteria shouted over the noise;

"FOOD FIGHT!"

All hell broke loose.

All kinds of greasy grimy food flew in the air. Innocent bystanders who refused to get involved immediately escaped through the nearest exits. Tables were turned to use as shielding walls. Plates and other utensils clanked loudly as they hit the marble floors.

Unfortunately for them though, the whole of our class was there. To start something as nonsensical as a food fight when we're around… well, let's just say it's not the wisest move.

A cup of pudding soared over my head as I hid behind an overturned table along with Kiku, Matthew and a few others. From where I was, I could hear Gilbert's voice booming from somewhere.

"Hah! You guys will never be a match to the awesome me!" Just after he said it, I could've sworn he was bull's eyed by four of five plates of god-knows-what.

"Eekk! Ludwig! Help!" Feliciano squealed as he clung on to the German's arm, a white flag in hand. Ludwig, on the other hand, was taking the situation seriously as if it was a military operation or something. Lovino was swearing up a storm, but otherwise hiding behind Antonio, the Spaniard.

Things got even uglier when I heard an explosion followed by a really loud cheer. I sneaked a peak from my hiding place to see what had happened and saw Alfred standing not far away, grinning like an idiot. He looked as if he'd just dived into a sea of food. He had French-fries tangled in his hair and some spaghetti dangling on his shoulders. He was covered in various kinds of sauces; mayonnaise, tomato.. you name it.

"Yeah baby!" he yelled in triumph, pounding his grimy fists in the air. "That's how you do it!"

I didn't even bother to find out what he did. Heaving a sigh, I sank back down behind where I took refuge, my hand on my forehead.

"What happened?" Matthew inquired, his voice a little shaky from fear of getting involved in the chaos.

"Your brother," was all I replied. "Really.. if only those hooligans were more gentlemanly then this wouldn't have-"

_Splat._

A piece of cake hit the side of my face and someone cheered: "I got the eyebrows dude!"

"Fucking bastard!" I swore before wiping of the pastry from my face and throwing it back to its original owner with all my might, hitting him so hard in the face that he went down.

To throw something at me at me when I'm not looking was bad enough. But to comment on my eyebrows.. he was _asking_ for it.

Several students let out a series of obscene "woots" before resuming their food-throwing frenzy. And unfortunately, I forgot all about my gentleman talk and joined them.

In no time I was covered in edibles like almost everyone else. My mine went on berserk mode, releasing the vulgar side of me that I've sworn never to show anyone. Needless to say, I lost all sense of rationality for that moment.

"Hey Artie!" The only reason I reacted to that was because I loathed that name. And there was only one person who used to call me that.

"Don't freaking call me-"

A pie landed square on my face. Hysterical laughter followed soon after.

"It worked..!" Alfred managed, breathless from his fits of laughter. Furious, I grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him towards me.

"Bloody hell Alfred!" I was ready to punch the daylights out of him when the doors of the cafeteria burst open. Silence immediately fell upon us when the assistant principal marched in.

"Who started this?" she demanded, her voice echoing in the now quiet cafeteria. You could've called it expected, but every finger in there was pointed towards us. I let go of Alfred's collar.

"So it's the idiot class.." she said smugly. "I should've known this would happen when the principal is away."

"But it wasn't us!" Alfred argued. "We were just joining the fun."

_Shut up_, I wanted to tell him. But things only got worst.

"Since you did participate all the same, you shall all spend the rest of the day cleaning up this mess." She said before turning towards the other students. "Now for the rest of you. Go clean yourselves up in the bathroom and resume your lessons. Anyone who lags behind will be given punishment."'

The janitor handed us mops and buckets while the others made their way back outside, chatting loudly among themselves and stealing glances at us once in a while. We responded to them by given them our personal "I'll kill you the next time I see you" looks.

"Well this _sucks_.." Alfred mumbled as he mopped a pool of sauce off the ground next to me.

"And whose fault do you think it is?" I said back.

"You're blaming me now?"

"If you hadn't opened your big mouth just now we would've been spared-"

"Shut up you two," Elizaveta cut in. She was cleaning up some ice-cream not far from us. And just to tell you, Elizaveta is a Hungarian and she's very, very tomboyish – except maybe when she's around Roderich. Every person who tries to dates her gets beaten up (ask Gilbet. He's always the one). "Stop arguing and be some help."

I wanted to yell at her to stay out of it, but I didn't. Instead I stared at her and heaved a sigh before turning back to Alfred. "…Sorry." I could barely get that one word out of my mouth. Why the hell was I apologizing anyway?

"Whatever.." he looked away. "Anyway, look at the bright side.." he soundly strangely upbeat. "At least we won't need to sit for those boring lessons."

And once again, we were about to be proven wrong.

* * *

><p><strong>~Alfred~<strong>

Mattie and I were walking along the hallways when someone called my name. The voice belonged to a female, and not anyone I know. I turned around.

"Hey.. um.. do you have a minute Alfred?" she asked, her face turning redder by the moment. I raised an eyebrow.

"Anything?"

"Uh.. I was just wondering.." she fiddled with her skirt as she spoke. "Could you.. by any chance.. be my b-boyfriend?"

She was pretty, don't get me wrong – with wavy brown hair that cascaded halfway down her back and almond colored eyes. But I just wasn't interested.

"Sorry." I said, maybe a little too indifferently. "But I've already got someone I like."

For a split second I thought she was going to hit me and yell at me and tell me she hates me or something. Instead, she just ran off crying without saying another word.

"You shouldn't be so harsh with girls, you know," Matthew told me.

"Did it really sound like that?" I asked, rubbing the back of my neck. "Aww man.. that was so _not_ like a hero.."

My brother shrugged before turning around to proceed with our walk to the cafeteria. We made a few more turns and in no time, we reached the cafeteria. I guess you could say that we're already used to the school and its condition and such, but the cafeteria during recess never fails to mystify us. Mattie summed it up best when he muttered;

"Whoa."

The whole hall was jam-packed with students at every corner. Loud clanking of trays and sounds of students bustling about filled the place.

We gave each other a nod and a look that meant 'Good luck' before splitting up and heading towards the stalls that sold the stuff we wanted to eat.

Okay. If you're wondering how it feels like to push through a crowd surrounding a lunch-lady during recess, try imagining pushing through a football huddle with a whole team of big dudes. Done? Now multiply the number of players by five. That's about how it feels like.

I took a deep breath, and plunged into the crowd.

For the next few minutes, everything was a blur. Colorful t-shirts and the stench of sweat surrounded me. It was a hard fight, _that_ I could tell you. If I hadn't grown to my current size, I would've been squashed like a piece of soft dough.

It was a slow process. I was losing the fight. Students parted just enough for me to catch a glimpse of the last burger standing. And someone was nearing it, probably intending to pick it up.

I felt a sudden surge of strength in my and lunged forward, snatching it out of his hand, not giving a damn about how un-heroic it was and yelling "It's mine!"

Before the poor guy could even recover from the shock he got, I handed the money to the lunch-lady and went off. I exhaled with relief before walking over to our usual table, the table belonged to class 2-C. The idiot class. _Our_ class.

Arthur was already there talking with Kiku. Kiku was having a boxed lunch as usual, while Arthur was only eating a packet of nuts. No wonder he was so thin and lightweight.

I slipped onto the chair next to him and started chowing down. The flavor of the food spread on my tastebuds and I had to exclaim despite my full mouth. "Thif if freakun delifiosu!"

"Geez Al.." Mattie nagged from beside me as he ate his pudding. "..you should at least swallow first before you talk.."

"But I can't help it Mattie.." I whined, lowering my half eaten burger. " "Nothing tastes better than hamburger after a good nap.. 'cept for mum's cooking, of course." And I shoved the whole remaining piece of food into my mouth.

"..Are you so bloody stupid.." Arthur suddenly spoke up, his voice tinged with annoyance. "..that you're not afraid of choking to death?"

"And you're eating so damn little.." I muttered, completely ignoring his retort earlier. "How do you even survive the day when you just consume such a small amount of food?"

He then grumbled something inaudible under his breath and turned away. What's his problem anyway? I didn't bother to find out. I leaned back against my chair and tilted my head towards the ceiling. I heaved a sigh before averting my gaze around the cafeteria.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a brunette stand up. He was grinning like a madman as he raised his plate of fish and chips over his shoulders and shouted.

"FOOD FIGHT!"

The flying plate indicated the start of a war.

Food flew in the air and made anyone or anything they land on stained with remnants and grease. Students who didn't want to be involved in the chaos screamed and fled to nearest exits. Some took cover behind overturned tables and such.

Moments later, almost the whole of our table had stood up and joined the fun. We picked up the nearest edibles we could find – be it our own half eaten food or those that had landed on the floor – and returned fire to the other side of the lunch room.

In no time the cafeteria was practically raining food. I picked up Mattie's abandoned pudding and randomly threw it at someone. The dude dodged and I cursed. So close.

"Hah! You guys will never be a match to the awesome me!" Gilbert yelled from behind me. I turned around just in time to see him bull's-eyed by five plates of mashed potato. So much for being awesome.

The battle got more and more intense as minutes passed. In no time I was drenched in sweat, sauce, spaghetti, etc (yes, I got hit). We were running out of usable weapons. I looked around, trying to get my hands on something. The only thing near me was a half-full bottle of coke. I immediately got an idea.

"Hey Toni!" I called over to Antonio, the Spaniard. He was having a hard time defending himself and returning fire with Lovino clinging on to his back, but he answered.

"What is it?"

"Any Mentos left?" I asked, knowing he always did have a pack with him. He dug into his pockets and fished out what I wanted.

"What do you want them for?" He threw them over. I smirked and picked up the bottle of coke.

"Mentos plus coke equals?"

He got the message and grinned evilly. I peeled the wrapping of the pack of sweets and took one out. Tentatively I put it into the beverage and threw it across the cafeteria as soon as it started bubbling.

The result was as I wanted. It blew up and sent coke splattering onto the faces of the students nearby.

"Yeah baby!" I pumped my fists into the air. "That's how you do it!"

Unfortunately, my victory did not last long. My assault only gave the other students an idea. Soon everyone was rushing around finding for cokes and Mentoses. For that moment, I felt extremely lucky that the cafeteria does not sell candies of any kind.

I was in the middle of pwning some students when I heard someone shout; " I got the eyebrows dude!"

_Eyebrows dude?_

"Fucking bastard!" A familiar voice yelled behind me. Arthur's. Oh dear…

Arthur threw something back at the poor kid so hard that he went down. The rest of us only took it a source of inspiration. Letting out loud cheers after a moment of stunned silence, we resumed the war. Arthur, who was hiding until that second, joined us. He threw food like a demon. I made a mental note never to comment on his eyebrows again.

But somehow, my mental note only covered that much. Without thinking, I picked up a piece of pie from the ground and called out;

"Hey Artie!"

Arthur hated that name and I knew it. I waited for the response I was expecting, weapon ready in hand.

"Don't freaking call me-"

I got my cue and sent the pastry flying towards him. It hit him square in the face, and I started laughing like an idiot. I laughed so hard my guts started to hurt. Don't worry.. I'm not going mad yet. If you saw Arthur's face, your reaction would probably be the same.

"It worked..!" I panted, still unable to completely stop myself. But my silliness could not last long. Without a warning, Arthur grabbed my collar and pulled me towards him.

"Bloody hell Alfred!" Anger flashed in his eyes as he clenched the fabric of my shirt tighter. For that moment, I was afraid he was gonna rip my face off.

And it was then the doors of the cafeteria burst opened. The assistant principal walked in, followed by some of the lunchladies as if she was some kind of VIP with bodyguards. Now that I think of it.. we'd completely forgotten about them..

"Who started this?" she demanded. The cafeteria was so quiet then, her voice actually echoed.

In a second, almost every finger was pointed towards us. What the hell? I looked around, trying to look for the guy who started it. The sneaky fox was nowhere to be seen.

"So it's the idiot class.." the woman muttered. "I should've known this would happen when the principal is away."

"But it wasn't us! We were just joining the fun." Go on. Call me an idiot for arguing. There was just no way I was going to let us be blamed for something we didn't do.

"Since you did participate all the same, you shall all spend the rest of the day cleaning up this mess." She said nonetheless before turning to face the others. "Now for the rest of you. Go clean yourselves up in the bathroom and resume your lessons. Anyone who lags behind will be given punishment."

We each took mops and buckets from the janitor as other students exited the place, talking with each other as if it was the most natural thing to do in the world. We gave them 'I'll kill you next time' glares whenever they steal glances at us.

"..Well this sucks.." I grumbled as I mopped some sauce off the floor.

"And whose fault do you think it is?" Arthur retorted next to me. He was cleaning one of the tables.

"You're blaming me now?" I asked, offended.

"If you hadn't opened your big mouth just now we wouldn't been spared-"

He couldn't finish his sentence.

"Shut up you two," Elizaveta cut him off. In her own ways, the Hungarian girl as scary as Ludwig (sometimes even scarier. Trust me, you would not want to know in what way). "Stop arguing and be some help."

I didn't dare to argue this time. I thought Arthur was going to get himself in deep shit ('cuz he was staring at her for about a minute) but he merely sighed and turned to face me.

"..Sorry." And he looked away.

You're kidding me right? There's absolutely no way Arthur would apologize, whether he was guilty or not. But I decided not to push it.

"Whatever.." I said before attempting to change the subject. "Anyway, look at the bright side. At least we won't need to sit for those boring lessons."

I don't know if the assistant principal was eavesdropping or what, but as soon as I said it, she appeared t the door with a smug smile on her face.

"Oh, and all of you will have to attend extra lessons today to make up for the time spent to clean this place."

"ALFRED!" Everyone yelled at me as soon as the door closed. I shrugged innocently.

"What?"

* * *

><p><strong>First of all, I would like to thank Unknown Variable-san, Jane, and Kee for giving me the only signs that someone was reading this. Thank you the three of you!<strong>

**Ahh.. this chapter took me long enough, but here it is~ And yes, I was trying to be sarcastic and funny. Didn't seem to work *grumble grumble***

** If you're reading this, then I sincerely thank you! Cookies for reviews lol **

**Excuse my mistakes. Hetalia isn't mine! UsUk RAWKS MAH SOCKS! xD **


	3. Chapter 3

**~Alfred~**

If you ever wondered how it felt like to clean up a cafeteria after a full-fledge food fight, then let me tell you: it could easily break your joints.

I could hardly feel my arms and back when I was done with everything. It took us almost forever to get the last stains off the walls (apparently, the stain resistant paint stuff does not apply to food sauce).

".. And I've got a part time job to go to later.." I sighed before stretching my aching back. Hours of bending down to mop floors are capable of turning one into the Hunchback of America. I'll remember that. Also_, I'm getting old. _

"I see that you've finished cleaning up.." a voice edged with smugness sounded from the door. We didn't have to guess that it was the assistant principal.

"Now give those things back to the janitor and return to class. Don't forget that your lessons will resume after this."

I had an almost uncontrollable urge to throw my bucket of goo at her. Fortunately, I managed to restrain myself by gripping the mop so hard I almost broke it in half. A hero wouldn't want to add more punishment for everyone.

Even so, I was determined to get even with her. I glanced around at my classmates around me. Judging by their expressions, I figured they were thinking the same thing: _some day lady_. _Some day._

Grudgingly, we cleaned the buckets and mops and handed them back to the janitor. I don't know whether to consider it a good or bad thing, but even he looked at us with pity.

"You kids sure got it hard huh?" he asked, chucking cleaning items into the store room at the very back of the cafeteria.

"Oh gee.. you think?" Arthur grumbled inaudibly from behind me. I elbowed his ribs, earning a deluxe 'I'll kill you' look from him. Naturally, I ignored him and turned to the adult.

"We're used to it." I then headed to the bathrooms with the rest of the class to clean up.

Classes after that were like hell on earth. Teachers who usually just couldn't bother to care started yelling at us for no apparent reason and gave us shitloads of assignments to complete. Call me paranoid or whatever you like, but I could almost see the pleased smirk on the assistant principal's ugly face.

Finally, it was the last straw for us. I could see that even the teachers were exhausted, since one of them actually let us march out of school without bothering to stop us (and there was about three more hours of studying to go).

I glanced at my watch as I retrieved my stuff from my locker. It was already six. My shift was almost over.

Oh, and before I forget; I work part-time in a car repair store. Yes, I know I'm underage to be working, but I had no choice. I need to lighten my mum's burden. And yeah, my boss knows my real age, but he's fine with it. He's happy as long he gets more help (he'd even praised my work before. No, I'm not showing off).

"Hey Arthur," I turned towards the annoyed Brit. "Could you lend me your phone for a bit?"

He glared at me skeptically before inquiring. "_Why_?"

"My boss." I said. " I gotta call him and apologize for missing work."

He gave me one more long hard look before shoving his hand into his trousers pocket and fishing out his cell phone.

"Here." He threw it to me and I barely caught it.

"Whoa! Thanks man!" I grinned before punching the number. There are times when I just loved how much I could depend on Arthur.

And yeah.. a cell phone is one of the normal teenager things I don't own. Mum had already spent a lot just to buy a computer for me. I didn't want my mother to spend her hard earned cash on a stupid phone. I figured I could just use public phones or something like that when I want to.

The line beeped as I waited for it to get through.

"Ello?" a voice finally sounded after a click. I could tell at once that it didn't belong to my boss.

"Ryan?" I guessed.

"Yep." The voice answered. I could hear the clanking of tools in the background. "How can I help you?"

"Hey. It's me. Al." I said. "Is the boss around?"

"Nope. The old man went out an hour ago." Ryan answered before going straight to the point. "Why dincha' come today?"

"..My class got held back." I grumbled. "Anyway, is he coming back anytime soon?"

"Don't think so. He asked me to lock up."

"I see..Then I'll just have to face him tomorrow."

"You better." Even through the phone, I could feel him grin sadistically. "Before he fries your ass."

"I'll keep that in mind." I then pressed the red button and ended the call. I handed the device back to Arthur. "Thanks again."

"Who's Ryan?" he asked, slipping it back into his pocket.

"Someone I work with." I answered. "Why ask?"

Arthur turned away. "Nothing."

A stupid idea hit me and I held back a laugh. "Don't tell me you're jealous that I know more guys than you.."

"What?" he faced me again, getting all flustered. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

I shrugged.

He clenched his fists and for a moment there I was afraid that he wanted to settle the score set between us during and before the food fight. Fortunately, he regained control and instead heaved a sigh.

"Forget it." He turned on his heels and started walking towards the exit without even saying goodbye. I stood there, once again confused and dumbfounded by my childhood friend's awkward behavior.

**xXx**

"I'm home~!" I called out as I entered my house, taking off my sneakers and putting them back on the rack in the process.

Mum (who had no work today and was cooking dinner) peeked out from the kitchen, surprise clearly written on her face. "Al? You're early today."

I laughed nervously. "I _kinda_ missed my job.."

"Missed your job?" she then retreated inside to do something before coming out, wiping her hands on her apron. "What happened?"

I told her. About the food fight. About how the assistant principal sneered at our torture. I told her everything like how a little boy would tell his mother.

"My poor Al.." My mother hugged me warmly. Call me childish if you want, but that really made me feel better. "Must've been hard for you."

"Not really, actually.." I said, pulling away from her embrace. "Everyone shared the task so there wasn't as much to do." I tried to change the subject. "Anyway.. what's for dinner?"

"You'll know later." She winked and smiled. "But before that, go take a shower please. You _reek_ of stale food."

"Aww man really?" I sniffed my sleeve. "Yuck. And I thought I washed most of it off in the school bathrooms.."

Without giving it second thoughts, I went upstairs to use the bathroom.

Taking a bath never felt so refreshing and good. I might be exaggerating a little when I tell you this, but I could practically see the water stained with various kinds of sauces as I soaped myself. For the record, I had never been so dirty in my life. Not even when I was a kid and never bothered about personal hygiene.

Finally, when majority of the dirt was washed off and I felt pretty clean, I wrapped a towel around my waist and stepped out of the bathroom. I dug into my drawers and picked out a clean change of clothes before pulling them on.

I walked over to retrieve my food-stained ones and headed downstairs, groaning at the thought of how long it would take to get them completely clean. The thought of losing my precious bomber jacket even just for a few days made me want to hit something.

Anyway, I threw my laundry into the laundry basket and went to find my mum in the kitchen. She was setting up the table when I arrived. My mouth watered as soon as the scent reached my nostrils. Mum had spent her afternoon cooking one hell of a delicious cuisine.

I ate till' my heart's content – though I assumed I would be traumatized by food after the incident in school. This time, I helped with the dishes when I was done.

"..How's Mattie doing these days?" mum suddenly asked while drying a plate with a piece of cloth. She knew we went to the same school (in fact, Mattie even comes over once in a while).

"Pretty good.." I answered with a grin as I soaped the last plate. "He's still one of the best students in class."

"I see.." My mother's voice sounded wistful and her eyes were faraway. And I knew why.

"..You're thinking about _him_ again." I said. She regarded me with innocent purple eyes.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

I set down the plate I was holding on the base of the sink and turned to face her. "You _know_ who. You're thinking about Mattie's father."

Mum winced, as if I just stabbed her with a knife. "Al.. he's your dad too.."

"We don't need him mum." I said, cutting her off. "I can take care of the both of us. I can be the man of this family."

There was a short silence before she turned away. "Go do your homework. I'll finish off here."

"Mum-" I wanted to protest but stopped abruptly when I realized how fragile my mother's voice sounded. As though she was going to break down crying if I continued the subject further.

"..Fine.." I gave up. "You'll know where to find me if you need me."

I walked into the living room and stopped before the cordless phone near the stairs. I had an urge to call someone and talk, but I had no idea who to call. Mattie was probably at tuition. Kiku and Yao were at work. Francis.. nevermind.

But then I had an idea. I picked the device up and carried it to my room with me. I dialed the number as I booted up my computer.

"..Kirkland speaking." A familiar voice answered after a series of beeps.

"Is your fridge running?" I joked.

"..What do you want Alfred?" Arthur replied after a sigh, clearly annoyed.

"Nothing really.. " I said. "Just feel like talking."

"…I'm hanging up."

"W-Wait! At least hear me out for a while will you?"

Silence. For a moment there, I really thought he had hung up. Until his voice resounded. "..Make it quick. I've got a huge amount of work to do."

"You speak as if I'm in a different situation.." I mumbled as I clicked on some icons before wedging the phone between a shoulder and ear to type on the keyboard. "Anyway.. it's about my mum." I paused, thinking just how much I should say. Or _what_ I should say.

"..Thinking about your dad?"

Arthur's voice brought me out of my thoughts. I'd forgotten just how much I used to talk to him on the phone, telling him all my problems while he listened (half-heartedly or not, I really don't know). Now that I think of it, it had never been the other way round. Arthur was secretive. Keeping everything to himself. Refusing to express his thoughts. It almost seemed clear to me why he was always in a bad mood.

"..Yeah…"

We chatted animatedly for a long time, doing our homework at the same time. What? Don't look down on us just because we're idiots. We can kill two birds with one stone without any problems.

Out of nowhere, I suddenly caught a glance at the time displayed at the bottom right corner of my monitor screen. And I realized.. that we've chatted for almost an hour. _Make it quick._

Oops.

"Err.. Arthur..?" I said, bracing myself for his fury. "I think we'd better stop talking now… it's been about fifty minutes.."

I pulled the receiver away from my ear as soon as I ended that sentence. To my relief, I only heard a huge sigh.

"And I thought you'd never noticed you git.."

"..So.." I hesitated. "..we're cool?"

There too, was hesitance in his voice. All these years I've known him, and Arthur had never been the forgiving type. And I'm pretty sure that I pissed him off a little more than usual today…

"..Yeah."

I blinked. "R-Really?"

"Just promise me never to call me Artie or any stupid names like that in the future."

" I promise!" I said, smiling away and probably looking like an idiot if anyone saw me. "Thanks Arthur. And I'm sorry."

"Whatever."

"I'll see ya in school then! Night!"

"..Good night."

And we ended the call.

* * *

><p><strong>~Arthur~<strong>

Cleaning up never felt so hard and tiring.

Good God.. the cafeteria walls might as well be painted with sauce. It took us a bloody long while, but we managed to clean most of it; at least to the point that it was no longer that obvious.

I cursed under my breath as I stood upright and tried to massage the numbness off my back. Moral of story: don't' get involved in a bloody food fight ever again.

"I see that you've finished cleaning up.." the assistant principal stood at the doors, smirking in pleasure. "Now give those things back to the janitor and return to class. Don't forget that your lessons will resume after this."

"Get your freaking ass here," I wanted to yell. "And we'll show you how it feels like to be feeling like an elderly with a bad back in just an hour."

But I kept my mouth shut and glared at her with the rest of my classmates instead, just to make our feelings clear. Then we gathered the tools and returned them to the janitor.

"You kids sure got it hard huh?" asked the adult as we lined up to pass him the items. I don't know why but his pity just seemed to annoy me more than I already was.

"Oh gee.." I mumbled sarcastically. "You think?"

Alfred elbowed my ribs and I gave him a death stare. He ignored me. Yes, _again_.

"We're used to it." Alfred told him and walked away.

We headed to class after washing off the leftover food off our hair and clothes in the bathroom as much as we can. I never knew I had that much french-fries stuck to my hair until I looked down at the sink.

I would like to say that life got better after that, but God just wasn't going to let that happen. The wonderful teachers had to give us a mountain of assignments with insanely short deadlines. Truth to be told, I don't even know why they bother trying. None of us would be handing up anything anyway.

I guess eventually they got to our nerves and we just couldn't stand another second of it. I marched into the hallways along with everyone else and went to my locker. Either the teacher was too tired to stop us or he just couldn't care less. No teacher worth their coffee would let their students waltz off when there was about three hours of schooling period left.

Unfortunately for me though, my locker only somehow managed to remind me of the incident early that morning. My scowl deepened. Thanks to that stupid git, the whole school now probably thinks we're a couple or something.

I was busy rearranging my books when a voice sounded next to me. Alfred's. Speak of (or should it be think of?) the devil.

"Hey Arthur, could you lend me your phone for a bit?" he asked.

I glared at him. "_Why_?"

"My boss," he answered. "I gotta call him and apologize for missing work."

I had to think about it. I glared at him some more before finally heaving a sigh and digging into my pockets for my mobile.

"Here." I threw it to him.

"Whoa! Thanks man!" Alfred flashed a grin before dialing the numbers. I leaned against my locker and waited for him to finish. I stared into space as I listened to his conversation, since I had nothing better to do.

"..Ryan?" he asked after a short pause.

Silence.

"Hey. It's' me. Al. Is the boss around?"

Silence.

"My class got held back." He grumbled as he replied to whoever's questioning him. "Anyway, is he coming back anytime soon?"

Another moment of silence.

"I see.. Then I'll just have to face him tomorrow."

Silence.

"..I'll keep that in mind."

He then ended the call and returned me my property.

"Thanks again."

"..Who's Ryan?" I asked with slight curiosity as I tucked my phone back into my pocket.

"Someone I work with." Alfred replied matter-of-factly. "Why ask?"

I turned to close my locker door, changing my mind about the question. "Nothing."

"Don't tell me you're jealous that I know more guys than you.." he blurted out of nowhere, holding back a laugh.

"What?" I noticed I was _blushing_, for what bloody reason I don't know. I only knew I couldn't control it no matter how I tried. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

Alfred merely shrugged, to my irritation. Good God… I want to punch him so badly!

Fortunately, I managed controll myself. A gentleman will not get involved in a fight over such trivial things.

"..Forget it." I muttered after heaving a sigh. I then grabbed my bag and stormed off, leaving Alfred standing there mouth agape like an idiot.

_What the hell?_ I mentally questioned myself again and again. _Why in bloody hell was I freaking blushing? _

I must've looked like a fellow with mental issues or something because people avoided me as I stormed into the streets leading to my home. Even children refrained themselves from commenting on my eyebrows – which, was unusual for them.

After about ten minutes of walking, I made a turn into a district leading to rows of houses. I walked towards the fifth house on my right. Two cars were parked at the porch; one your typical family car and the other a wicked sports car. Usually, it's only the family vehicle there so I figured it was my elder brother's.

I pushed the unlocked gate open and stepped in. Before I could sort out the set of keys I held, the front door flung open and a redhead stood there, grinning with a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth.

"Well it's about time!" he told to no one in particular. "Everyone's waitin' for ya."

Iain Kirkland is that elder brother I mentioned about just now. Though it's usually hard to see the family resemblance, you'd find out soon enough. Iain had the same emerald green eyes as all the Kirklands.

My elder brother hardly comes home. Iain studies engineering in Scotland. He now has a Scottish accent and maybe that's why almost everyone calls him Scotty instead of his real name.

"Hey there Brother," I greeted him like how I'd seen Americans do – just not in such a friendly way as them. "Hadn't we told you specifically _not_ to smoke in the house?"

"Aww chill out Arthur." He said. "No one told me that except you – ugh! What the hell is that smell?"

I scowled as I picked up my sauce-stained shoes. I thought I wanted to place them back in the shoe rack when I saw exactly how dirty they were. I threw them back on the ground and made a mental note to clean them later.

"Got in a food fight.." I mumbled, pushing pass him to get into the house.

Iain whistled. "Sweet! I remember my first food fight – when the times me and my mates chewed on the food before spittin' it out and-"

I didn't stand there to listen to the rest of his disgusting story. Instead, I headed straight to my bedroom, ignoring the weird stares I was getting from my mother and younger brother. I tore off my clothes and stepped into the shower.

And bathing never felt so good in my life. All those dried ketchup and such being washed away by soap and water…

Long story short: It was good to be clean again.

I was in the middle of scrubbing my hair clean of oil and grease when I faintly heard a knock on the door, followed by my mother's voice.

"Hurry up Arthur!" she yelled so she could be heard. "Your brother's taking us out for dinner tonight!"

I wasn't really in the mood for dinner at that moment (nor was I willing to leave the shower) so I shouted back; "Go on without me. It's going to be some time before I'm done."

"You sure, dear?" my mother asked with doubt. "You haven't got anything to eat here you know. Would you like me to get you something on the way back?"

"I'll be fine, mother." I replied. "I get the feeling that I'm not going to be hungry for the rest of the evening."

"..If you say so.." The next thing I heard were the sounds of footsteps, the click of the door lock, and the start of a car engine.

I stood under the spray of warm water for a while longer until I noticed that the tips of my fingers were getting hideously wrinkled. _Alright_, I thought to myself. _Time to get out._

I dried myself before stepping out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around my waist. I went to my clothes cupboard and picked out a clean t-shirt along with a pair of shorts. Once again, it feels damn good to be clean again.

I laid down on my bed as soon as I finished changing and yawned. I hadn't really realized it, but I was dead tired even with the naps I took during majority of the lessons in school. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. A little nap wouldn't hurt…

And so, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Once again, I plunged into the same dream I had been having since the last eight days or so. I watched a British soldier fighting with an American in the rain. Though I had been seeing the same thing over and over again for so long, I could not make any sense out of it. Why, you ask?

Because the Brit was me. And the American was Alfred.

Was the dream a message? If it was, then it only made less sense. I mean, pointing a musket at Alfred? We argue at regular basis, but shooting him? Not likely to happen.

_In adolescence, you change from a boy into a man  
>I searched for the road, still so innocent<em>_  
>Pushing through the crowd, no decent place to go<br>Tell me what real happiness is, my broken radio_

_I could always hear it, you always let me hear it  
>When I looked out the window at the sky, I felt a new, faint courage<br>My radio knew, you knocked on the door of my heart  
>A gentle breeze waved goodbye to my broken heart..<em>

Great. Even my ringtone's gentle tune managed to startle me from my nap. I sat up and reached for the device, wondering who would call at such a time.

The screen flashed a name I was half expecting. Sighing, I accepted the call.

"Kirkland speaking."

"Is your fridge running?" Alfred's forever obnoxious voice sounded from over the line.

"..What do you want Alfred?" I asked, annoyance once again building up in me. It's a wonder how one person manages to piss me off more than five times a day.

"Nothing really," he replied nonchalantly. "Just feel like talking."

"..I'm hanging up."

"W-Wait!" _That_ almost burst my eardrums. "At least hear me out for a moment will you?"

Wasting my precious time talking to him of all people? As if!

At least that was what I was going to say until I remembered I was alone in the house with no one other than the fairies (they _do_ exist, mind you). Maybe some company wouldn't be so bad after all. Besides, the git had been doing this calling business almost everyday ever since I moved here.

"..Make it quick." I said after about a minute of silence, remembering about our assignments. "I've got a huge amount of work to do."

Alfred mumbled something I could not make out before saying; "Anyway.. it's about my mum." He paused.

"..Thinking about your dad?" I asked before he could start speaking again. I knew about Alfred's complicated relationship with his father. He was the one who told me, after all.

"..Yeah.."

He kept talking as I headed over to my bag and pulled out some English assignment notes. I scanned the sheet of paper, half listening to him, half thinking how I should start.

Oh, and just in case this happens to you; never act like you're really paying any attention to Alfred on the phone because 1) he tends to repeat lots of things 2) he can bring up almost anything for the sake of keeping the conversation going.

In other words, brace yourself to lose all your phone credits.

With every topic he brought up, I glance once at the clock, counting the minutes that were passing. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. Thirty...

"Err.. Arthur?" Alfred said all of the sudden, sounding – I can't believe I'm saying this – a little worried. "I think we'd better stop talking now.. it's been about fifty minutes..."

Oh Lord. How much slower can he get?

Then again, Alfred was just that kind of person. That particular slowness is what makes him Alfred F. Jones all these years. Obviously no amount of yelling or hitting would change him.

So instead of getting all worked up, I sighed. Very deeply.

"And I thought you'd never noticed you git.." I said.

"..So.." He was hesitating. Did he really expect me to start screaming at him or something? Why, _thank you_. "..we're cool?"

"..Yeah."

"R-Really?"

"Just promise never to call me Artie or any stupid names like that in the future." That sounded plain silly, now that I thought about it. Why did I even say that?

"I promise!" I could imagine him beaming away when he said there. "Thanks Arthur. And I'm sorry."

Well, at least he apologized, right?

"Whatever."

"I'll see ya in school then! Night!"

Typical of him to shout in the phone when the conversation was getting to an end.

"..Good night." I ended the call. I turned to look at the clock again. Eight thirty.

_Time to clean my shoes. _AndI stood up and headed towards the door_._

* * *

><p><strong>And so, after so long, I'm proud to present to you: Chapter 3~! =D not that there's anyone reading this anyway.. TT^TT<strong>

**yeah, Arthur's a little ooc here, but I like the forgiving Arthur :3 heheh sue meh if ya want to**

**excuse my mistakes. Hetalia isn't mine. **


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